Beautiful Disaster
by dissonantsounds
Summary: "She wasn't supposed to fall for you, Edward!  Not like this..." he yelled.  "Do you really think I don't know that? That I planned for it to turn out this way? Things change."  he sighed, "You're going to break her heart." "I know"  ExB AHAU


Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to SM, no infringement is intended.

Prologue

And it all came tumbling down...

_Sunday, July 18th_

_BANG. BANG. BANG. _The sound of someone's fist attacking the front door reverberated throughout the small house.

"Coming!" Edward shouted out, checking on the chicken parmigiana one last time before making his way out of the kitchen and into the front hall. The pounding on the door had still not let up, and by the time Edward reached it, he could hear his best friend's angry rambles behind the shaking door.

"Edward, I swear, if you don't open this door up right n..." he was cut off, however as Edward abruptly opened the door.

"It's good to see you too, Jazz. So, how was the honeymoon?" Edward asked, as he slowly walked over to the bar in the corner of the room and began to pour a drink, "What are you drinking today? There's scotch and pretty much everything else here. I also have beer in the fridge and Bel...uh...well there will be a bottle of Brindisi with dinner, if you'd like to wait," Edward rambled on, ignoring Jasper's pointed glare. He knew why Jasper had come over earlier and most importantly without Alice.

"Don't try to distract me, Edward. And, are you honestly asking me what I'd like to drink right now? After what you've done? Well, then Eddie," he said, using the nickname he knew Edward had despised since childhood, "I'll play along if you like." he continued, his voice taking on a deceptively calm tone. "To answer your first question, the honeymoon was wonderful, as if Alice would have anything less. I swear she must have made a pact with the gods to ensure that the weather was perfect each and everyday. I hadn't talked to anyone from home, but I suppose it was too much to ask of Alice to go three weeks without any contact with the outside world. So imagine my surprise Edward, when, during our last day in Paris, my wife tells me that we're going to have dinner with _you,_ the day after we get home. _You, _who was supposed to have flown back to Seattle _**three weeks ago!**_"

"Jasper..." Edward tried to cut back into the conversation, but Jasper was having none of it.

"No, I haven't even got to the best part yet. Not only does Ali tell me we're having supper with you, but _you and Izzie_. You and Izzie. Obviously, she saw my confusion regarding the two of you being together, and spent our seven-hour flight home enlightening me and gushing about the two of you."

"Jasper, I can explain," he began, though he really didn't think he could, he needed time to get things straightened out in his head. Jasper's return had knocked him out of the little bubble he'd been living in the past few weeks, and he was no longer sure what was real and what wasn't. " But, please, Alice and...well, everyone will be here shortly. It's not the right time to talk about this."

A defeated sigh escaped Jasper's lips, as he looked up at his best friend, "Two things, that's all I asked of you when you agreed to the plan. Two things you promised me you wouldn't do, that you wouldn't all to happen."

"And they haven't." Edward muttered, being purposely contrary. Whether it was for Jasper's benefit or his own, he couldn't say.

"I know you can't truthfully say that, hell, just one look at her and it was obvious..."

Edward began to pace back and forth through the living room, yanking at his hair, his voice rising with each word, "Yes Jazz, look at her! You saw her last night, all smiles, carefree, actually starting up conversation for once, and not with the floor Jazz...Can you honestly tell me the last time you saw her like that? Shit, do you even remember a time that girl has ever made eye contact with you, while speaking? She was an empty shell, curled up and hiding within herself when you asked for my help to reanimate her, to reopen her eyes and make her feel worthy of living a fulfilling life, and I did that, I fixed her!" He took a final gulp from the amber liquid in his scotch glass, and with a flick of his wrist, sent it flying into the fireplace, before collapsing on the couch across from Jasper.

"And who's going to be around to put the broken pieces back together after you leave? Fuck, Edward, she wasn't supposed to fall for you! Not like this..."

"Do you really think I don't know that? That I planned for _this _to happen?...Things change."

"You're going to break her heart."

"I know," he replied, gazing at the flickering flames, and added quietly to himself, "and she's going to break mine."

Jasper studied him for a moment, saw how troubled he really looked, and with a shake of his head sighed, "Well, I guess we're all screwed then..."

Edward snickered at that, "Well, if the little pixie ever finds out about this, I highly doubt they'll be any screwing in you future, my friend."

Jasper chuckled at his attempt to lighten the mood, even if it was at his own expense, "Heaven help us if she ever does. She'll have our heads on a platter for it, and I honestly can't say that I'd blame her one bit."

The two settled into silence for a few moments, each man lost in his own thoughts, until the first notes of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" knocked them out of their reverie, sending Jasper scrambling for his phone. "Alice will be here any minute," he notified Edward, checking his screen, "Speaking of which, where's Izzie?"

"Huh?" _Right, _Bella. He didn't think he'd ever get used to hearing her referred to as "Izzie" it just didn't suit. "Oh, Isabella ran out to grab a bottle of wine last minute, she should be back soon." He got up from the sofa and made to move towards the front hall, when Jasper grasped his shoulder, stopping him.

Jasper looked at him seriously, _Uh-Oh, he's in Dr. Whitlock mode,_ Edward thought, "You do have a plan, right?"

Shaking him off, he gave Jasper his customary smirk and drawled, "Well, you're the shrink, Jazzie, aren't you supposed to come up with a way for us all to ride happily off into the sunset? After all, this was your bright idea."

Sensing, that Edward had put his guard up for the moment, he realized he'd be getting no more out of Edward, At least not right now. "I know, we'll talk more later, but I really thi..." he didn't have the chance to finish his thought, as Alice's melodic voice streamed in from the front door.

"_Really_ great security you have here, Edward, leaving the doors open for who knows who!" She called out sarcastically, as she made her way into the house.

In the living room, Edward and Jasper looked at each other in confusion, as the door had been shut and locked after Jasper had entered. _SHATTER. _The sound of glass breaking quickly had them running out of the living room, where they immediately saw Bella, ashen-faced and frozen as though set in stone, with shards of glass surrounding her feet. For a moment no one moved, and this was how Alice found the three of them just outside the living room as she rushed there from the front door.

"Oh, my god! Izzie are you okay?" she cried, taking in her best friend's appearance. Apparently it was all too much for Bella, as her knees buckled. Luckily Edward was able to grab her, before she collapsed onto the broken crystal. He easily swept her up in his arms, with the intent to lay her down on the chaise, but had not taken more than two steps before she regained her senses, and began fighting in his arms.

"Don't touch me!" She shrieked over and over, frantically trying to get out of his arms, as he tried in vain to calm her down, giving in eventually and setting her down on her feet and watching helplessly as she promptly dropped to the floor. Alice ran to her, wrapping her arms around Bella's quivering form, trying to comfort her like you would a child. Whispering soothing words into her ear, Alice then levelled her gaze at Edward, sending his a glare that would likely frighten the fiercest of men.

"What the FUCK did you do to her Edward?" she screeched, and Edward had to fight the urge to shrink back; the anger coming from this tiny frame of a women, whom he considered a little sister, was disturbing, and who couldn't think of a single thing he could say to dispel it.

_Enough,_ Bella thought to herself, she wasn't about to cause Alice any pain, simply because she had been foolish enough to believe that she was worthwhile, that anyone could ever lo...she cut off her thoughts, and began to ease herself out of Alice's grasp, focused solely on getting out of there, for she knew if she let what she's heard today actually sink it, she'd break and she wasn't about to crumble in front of them. _I've made enough of a fool of myself already. _Standing up, she made her way to leave, but Alice stopped her. "Please, Alice, just let me go, I _have_ to go." she murmured to her friend hoping she'd understand, that she'd let her go without the customary Alice interrogation.

Now annoyed at realizing she was the only one in the room out of the loop, she gazed at each of them in turn, waiting for one to crack and fess up. "Will someone please just tell me what's going on? Is it Edward, Iz? You were so happy yesterday...I don't understand," she whispered the last few words to herself, and looked hopefully up as her husband, "Jazzy, do you know?" she asked, and the dark feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was terribly wrong only increased, when he wouldn't meet her gaze.

"It's no one's fault but my own Alice, and I have no reason to be here anymore, though I suppose, I never really did..."

"Bella, it's not what you think..." Edward said, his voice trailing off at the end, because really, what else could he say?

"Really Edward, it's not?" She wished she could get herself to just shut up, but the words just kept tumbling out, "Well, that's just great! Isn't it wonderful Alice, Edward here says it's not what I think," she ranted, sarcasm heavy in her tone, as her voice took on a hysterical edge, she turned to look at Edward, "So I guess you'll have no problem at all then looking into my eyes and telling me the truth," he gaze shifted to Jasper, "or really any explanation at all would really be great!" she continued, plastering a smile on her face, that looked more like a grimace.

The agonizing silence that followed, was shattered by Alice's pleas for someone to tell her what was going on. Bella, looked over at her emotional friend, who though clueless as to what exactly was going on, had tears streaming down her face, and feelings of hurt, worthlessness and guilt that she had tried to hide from for years bubbled up inside her. _This, _this was why she had chosen to live the way see did. And without another glance back she ran out the front door, finally letting the tears she had held in for over eight years fall.

Edward didn't know how long he stayed, unmoving, gazing out the door she's run out of. _SLAP. SLAP. _At some point he registered Alice walking up to him. He couldn't feel the pain as she hit him, but he knew that he would never forget the look in her eyes as she did it before stomping outside of his home. Bella running out was easily the worst moment of his life, but little Alice, his sweet honorary little sister, looking at him with such intense loathing and disgust, was a close second.

A/N: Thoughts? Let me know what you liked, hated, believe me every word counts!

As you may have guessed, next time we'll be taking a jump back two months, and working our way up to this and the inevitable aftermath, and the chapters will likely get much longer.


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